Ben An found himself recording a double-digit score on the 17th at TPC Sawgrass Thursday.
@PGATour
Byeong Hun An blew up on Thursday on the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass. Then, he took to Twitter to blow off some steam.
“We all have bad days in our life and we just have to learn to move on…..” An began in a tweet from his official account shortly after posting an opening-round 83 at the Players. “But it was a horrendous f—-ing tee shot on 17th…”
An, who has long been one of the PGA Tour’s most self-deprecating members, minced no words after his Thursday performance at the Players Championship. And perhaps that’s for good reason.
The 29-year-old recorded an 11 on the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass after hitting four balls in the water, including his original tee shot. Nevermind that An’s blunder on the 17th was the highest score on the hole all day, it represented just the second-highest recorded score on No. 17 in the ShotLink era.
An would go on to finish his round with a double-bogey on the 18th after hitting a fifth shot into the water off the tee.
He’s far from the only player to have struggled on the 17th on Thursday. Earlier in the afternoon, Kevin Na recorded a quintuple-bogey after sending three balls water-bound, and more than a dozen players have made double-bogey or worse on the famed island green.
Still, he was a good sport about the ordeal on social media, even tagging himself in a Golf Channel tweet about his performance.
Ultimately, An leaves Thursday at the Players tied for 151st at 11 over, thanks in large part to the eight additional strokes added to his overall score on the 17th.
Still, it takes a big person to laugh off their mistakes, and Ben An has surely proved himself that.
James Colgan is a news and features editor at GOLF, writing stories for the website and magazine. He manages the Hot Mic, GOLF’s media vertical, and utilizes his on-camera experience across the brand’s platforms. Prior to joining GOLF, James graduated from Syracuse University, during which time he was a caddie scholarship recipient (and astute looper) on Long Island, where he is from. He can be reached at james.colgan@golf.com.